Most plumbing myths sound harmless, and some even sound sensible. The trouble is that acting on the wrong one can turn a five-minute fix into a burst pipe, a blocked sewer line, or a hot water system that fails years early. Here are the seven myths we hear most often from Perth homeowners, what is actually true, and what to do instead.
None of these seven myths hold up. A noisy hot water system will not explode, but it does need checking. Soap is not a safe cleaner for tapware. A slow drip is never “nothing to worry about”, it can waste tens of thousands of litres a year. Grease should never go down the drain, hot water or cold. Nothing but toilet paper should be flushed, including “flushable” wipes. Bleach tablets left sitting in the cistern damage the internal parts over time. And clearing stormwater drains properly takes a licensed plumber with the right equipment, not just anyone with a drain snake.
Why Plumbing Myths Cost Perth Homeowners More Than They Realise
You probably do not think about your plumbing until something goes wrong with it, and that is exactly how these myths spread. A tip gets passed from a parent, a rental property manager, or a well-meaning neighbour, and it gets repeated until it sounds like fact.
The problem is that plumbing in your home is one connected system. A shortcut in one spot, a bit of grease down the sink or a bleach tablet left in the cistern, often shows up as damage somewhere else months later.
Working through these myths now can save you a callout, a repair bill, or in some cases a full system replacement.
Myth 1: A Noisy Hot Water System Is About to Explode
If your hot water system has started banging, popping or rumbling, it is unsettling, but it is not a sign of an imminent explosion. That noise is almost always caused by sediment building up on the base of the tank.
As water heats around and underneath the sediment layer, steam bubbles form and collapse, creating the knocking sound plumbers call kettling.
What it does mean is that your system is working harder than it should, using more energy to heat the same amount of water, and wearing out faster than a well-maintained unit. Left unchecked for years, sediment build-up can shorten the life of a tank significantly.
If your system is banging, book a service rather than ignoring it or panicking about it. Our hot water repairs team can flush the sediment out, check the temperature and pressure relief valve, and tell you honestly whether a repair or a replacement makes more sense.
Myth 2: Any Household Soap Is Fine for Cleaning Your Fixtures
Hand soap and dish soap feel like an obvious, gentle choice for wiping down taps and fittings, but many contain surfactants and fragrance additives that slowly dull and pit chrome, brushed nickel and brass finishes.
Over months of regular cleaning, that build-up can etch the surface permanently, and on some tapware it can void the manufacturer’s warranty.
A mild solution, such as a small amount of bicarbonate of soda on a soft cloth, cleans just as effectively without the risk.
Rinse and dry fixtures after cleaning rather than letting any cleaning product sit on the surface, and avoid abrasive scourers on anything with a polished or brushed finish.
Myth 3: A Leaky Faucet Is Nothing to Worry About
A dripping tap is one of the most commonly ignored problems in the home, largely because it seems minor. It is not.
A tap dripping at roughly one drop per second wastes water at a rate most people underestimate by a wide margin, and the cost compounds every single day it is left unfixed.
Beyond the water bill, a persistent drip usually means a worn washer, O-ring or cartridge, and the longer it runs the more likely it is to damage the tap body itself, particularly around the spindle and seat.
What starts as a $20 washer job can turn into a full tap replacement. See our guide on whether a dripping tap needs a plumber, or head straight to our leaking tap repairs page if yours has been going for more than a few days.
The Real Cost of a Dripping Tap
Approximate annual water waste by drip rate, based on common industry estimates. Actual figures vary by tap and pressure.
Myth 4: Pouring Grease Down the Drain Is Fine If You Use Boiling Water
This one is common and it is completely wrong. Boiling water does not dissolve fat, oil or grease (FOG), it only keeps it liquid for the length of your pipe run.
Once that water cools, and it cools quickly once it hits your cold waste pipe and the ground beneath your home, the fat solidifies again and sticks to the inside of the pipe wall.
Over weeks and months, repeated small amounts of grease build into a blockage that narrows the pipe from the inside, catching food scraps, hair and soap scum until the drain slows or stops completely.
Let grease cool in a jar or container and put it in the bin instead. If you already suspect a build-up, our blocked drains team can clear it before it becomes a full blockage, and our guide to preventing blocked drains covers the other everyday habits worth breaking.
Myth 5: You Can Flush More Than Just Toilet Paper
Paper towel, cotton pads, makeup wipes and even products labelled “flushable” are routinely flushed on the assumption that if it goes down, it must be fine. It is not.
Toilet paper is engineered to break apart in water within seconds. Almost everything else, wipes included, holds together far longer, and that is exactly what causes blockages.
These items catch on small imperfections inside the pipe, such as a joint or a slight dip, and other debris builds around them until the pipe blocks. In older homes with clay or older PVC pipework, this is one of the most common causes of a blocked drain we get called out for.
The rule is simple: toilet paper only, everything else goes in the bin. If a blockage has already happened, our team can clear it properly rather than just pushing the problem further down the line.
See our blocked drains service
Myth 6: Drop-In Bleach Tablets Are a Good Way to Keep Your Toilet Clean
Bleach itself is a fine occasional toilet cleaner in small amounts, used briefly and rinsed away. The problem is the continuous-release tablets that sit in the cistern and slowly dissolve with every flush.
That constant low-level chlorine exposure attacks the rubber seals, flapper valve and other internal fittings inside the cistern, causing them to perish well before their time.
The result is usually a toilet that runs constantly, or a flapper that no longer seals properly, both of which waste water around the clock until they are replaced.
If you want a cleaner bowl, use a bleach-based cleaner directly and rinse it through within a few minutes, rather than leaving a tablet dissolving in the cistern for months at a time.
Myth 7: Any Plumber Can Clear Your Stormwater Drains
Stormwater drains are a different job to a blocked kitchen sink. Many plumbers still use a standard drain snake or auger, which can break through a blockage but often leaves roots, sediment and debris packed against the pipe wall, meaning the same blockage returns within months.
A Hydro Jetter, which uses a long, flexible hose to blast high-pressure water through the full width of the pipe, actually strips the pipe wall clean and clears tight bends that a standard auger cannot reach.
It is also worth knowing that in Western Australia, plumbing and drainage work legally has to be carried out by a licensed plumber. Drip Hunters holds plumbing licence PL8883 and gas fitting licence GF011765, and every stormwater or sewer drain job is quoted and carried out to Australian Standards.
Our guide on when you actually need a licensed plumber goes through the risks of DIY and unlicensed work in more detail, and our guide to clearing stormwater and sewer drains covers how we approach the job specifically.
Quick Reference: Plumbing Myths vs Reality
| Myth | Reality | What to do instead |
|---|---|---|
| Noisy heater will explode | Noise means sediment build-up, not danger | Book a service and tank flush |
| Soap is fine on fixtures | Soap dulls and pits chrome and brass over time | Use a mild solution like bicarbonate of soda |
| A small drip does not matter | A steady drip can waste over 10,000 L a year | Replace the washer or cartridge promptly |
| Boiling water clears grease | Grease resolidifies once pipes cool | Bin cooled grease, never pour it down |
| Flushable wipes are safe | They do not break down like toilet paper | Toilet paper only, everything else in the bin |
| Bleach tablets keep toilets clean | Constant chlorine perishes seals and flappers | Clean with bleach briefly, then rinse |
| Any plumber clears stormwater drains | Needs Hydro Jetting and a licensed plumber | Use a licensed specialist, not a generic snake |
DIY Fix or Time to Call a Licensed Plumber?
A lot of these myths come from homeowners trying to save money by handling something themselves. Some jobs genuinely are DIY-safe. Others are not, and getting that wrong is usually where the real cost comes in.
DIY-safe
You can shut off the water and it is a simple part, such as a washer, O-ring or shower head.
Example: replacing a tap washer
Call a licensed plumber
It involves gas, your hot water system, drainage, or anything you cannot isolate the water supply to first.
PL8883, GF011765
Frequently Asked Questions
It is extremely rare and almost always linked to a faulty temperature and pressure relief valve rather than everyday noise.
Regular servicing checks that valve along with sediment build-up, which is why a service is worth booking as soon as you notice unusual noise rather than waiting.
It depends on the drip rate, but a steady drip of around one drop per second commonly wastes upwards of 10,000 litres a year, and a visible trickle can waste three times that.
It adds up on your water bill well before it becomes an obvious problem.
Let it cool and solidify in a jar, container or the original packaging, then put it in the general waste bin. Wiping greasy pans with paper towel before washing also helps keep grease out of your drains altogether.
Yes. “Flushable” refers to whether the wipe fits down the pipe, not whether it breaks apart like toilet paper.
Most wipes stay largely intact well past the toilet, which is why they are one of the leading causes of blocked drains in Australian homes.
A drain snake or auger punches a hole through a blockage but often leaves debris packed against the pipe walls, so the same blockage tends to return.
A Hydro Jetter uses high-pressure water to clean the full width of the pipe, clearing root intrusion and built-up sediment far more thoroughly.
Simple, genuinely DIY-safe tasks like replacing a tap washer do not require a licence.
But in Western Australia, any work involving gas fitting, drainage, or altered plumbing does legally require a licensed plumber, and getting it wrong can affect your home insurance as well as your safety.
Not sure if it is a myth or a real problem?
If something in your plumbing does not add up, our licensed team can tell you straight, no guesswork and no upselling. We service Perth right through to Mandurah.
Get in touch or call 0439 922 548
